✓ Fun couples with amazing chemistry are my favorite.
✓ Wedding dogs are also my favorite.
✓ And to top it off, getting to document different cultural elements at a wedding is my favorite part of my job.
So clearly, Susan and Andrew’s Le Chambrod at Curry Estate wedding checked so many boxes for me on a personal level.
These two are hilarious together; they are just in constant laughter with a magnetic energy. You can’t help but have fun around them. Then there’s Maru, the shitzu. He does tricks, sits in laps, and looks at his owners with the biggest brown eyes full of love. He’s perfect. When Susan and Andrew told me that they wanted to honor Susan’s Chinese heritage but still host a Western wedding, I was super excited. In twelve years of doing this, this was my first opportunity to witness this type of fusion. They opted to dress in red formal attire for their reception evening to replicate the traditional red outfits worn for Chinese weddings, which symbolize joy and happiness. We went to Beacon’s Long Dock Park and got some lovely portraits of them the evening before - full of excitement and anticipation.
The next day I arrived to their venue, Le Chambrod at Curry Estate. Hudson Valley couples - take note. This is an awesome venue. Family run by a team of sisters, you can have multiple nights of access to a gorgeous Hudson Valley property. The main house has a fantastic restaurant and reception area. There’s a beautiful white carriage barn that is the perfect spot to have your group photos and first look, a covered pavilion for your cocktail hour, and a lovely grassy garden to host your ceremony. Afterwards your wedding party and relatives can stay on site in the hotel suites. It’s really a fantastic option for a couple that wants a classic wedding vibe with everything happening on site with the ability to spend longer time with guests. It’s really lovely.
Andrew and Maru got ready in the hotel on the property while Susan and her team took over the bridal suite. They had their first look in front of the carriage barn, we took portraits around the estate, and headed back for family photos. As their guests arrived and I captured details, I took note of the prevalence of a specific character, 囍 which is called the double happiness symbol. It adorned their wedding invitations, the tea ceremony items and a small tapestry in the cocktail hour pavilion. At the time, uneducated to its meaning, I felt intuitively it represented harmony and happiness and it turns out upon researching it, that my instinct was correct - double happiness indeed. Thanks to East Meets Dress’s awesome blog, I learned that animal symbolism is traditional in Chinese weddings and noticed a magnificent gesture in the form of a striking ice sculpture in the shape of a swan, an animal that represents wisdom, intelligence and loyalty. It was quite the work of art.
As the guests sat down and the ceremony began, Maru was carried down the aisle by a friend of Andrew’s and handed off to him in front of the beautiful wedding arch with white floral garland. Guests were blown away by the inclusion of a “flower dude” who nearly stole the show throwing petals in the most spectacularly grandiose fashion. Once Susan was down the aisle, she and Andrew lovingly served tea to each other’s parents, a nod to the traditional Chinese tea ceremony.
During cocktail hour they surprised their guests with a cigar rolling station which was a huge hit. As I covered details in the reception space before they entered, I loved the inclusion of the twenty sided die as a favor at their guest seating chart a very cool nod to their love of gaming together. Another excellent detail I spotted were personalized chopsticks with their wedding date engraved as a guest favor.
The reception was a blast. Remember how I said these two are super fun? Well they didn’t disappoint. Andrew’s brother’s speech had everyone (myself included) roaring with laughter, and their dance floor was lit the entire night long. I definitely had a moment of moshing to some old emo music which just reinforced how much I like these two. We stepped outside briefly for some nighttime portraits (there’s a huge lit tree I needed to take advantage of) and I left knowing I made some incredible images and new friends along the way. Thank you Susan and Andrew for trusting me - it was such a wonderful time!
Vendor shout outs!
Venue…Le Chambrod at Curry Estate, Hopewell Junction NY
Makeup…Kelly Cortland
Susan’s rehearsal dress…East Meets Dress
Andrew’s rehearsal outfit…Beth and Brian Qi Pao
Susan’s wedding dress…Lambs Hill Bridal Boutique
Andrew’s wedding suit…Indochino
Engagement ring…James Allen
Wedding rings…The Jewelry Center
Custom wedding ring box…Wanderweg
Florals…Flowers by David Anthony
Entertainment…LJ DJs
Custom neon sign…ZanvisNeon
Swan ice sculpture provided by the venue
